Mississippi Science PHS.4

PHS.4 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• PHS.4.1

  Design and conduct experiments to investigate physical and chemical changes of various household products (e.g., rusting, sour milk, crushing, grinding, tearing...

• PHS.4.2

  Design and conduct investigations to produce evidence that mass is conserved in chemical reactions (e.g., vinegar and baking soda in a Ziploc© bag).

• PHS.4.3

  Apply the concept of conservation of matter to balancing simple chemical equations.

• PHS.4.4

  Use mathematical and computational analysis to examine evidence that mass is conserved in chemical reactions using simple stoichiometry problems (1:1 mole ratio...

• PHS.4.5

  Research nuclear reactions and their uses in the modern world, exploring concepts such as fusion, fission, stars as reactors, nuclear energy, and chain reaction...

• PHS.4.6

  Analyze and debate the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear reactions as energy sources.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students test household materials and use clues like gas or color change to tell physical changes from chemical changes. They measure mass before and after a sealed reaction, then balance equations and check the masses. They compare how fission and fusion release energy.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student can explain why a bubbling reaction keeps the same mass when the gas stays in the bag. They can balance a simple equation and use atomic masses to check both sides. They can name a benefit and a drawback of nuclear power.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may call boiling a chemical change because they see bubbles. They may think gas has no mass or that atoms disappear during a reaction. They may confuse fission, which splits atoms, with fusion, which joins them.

04

How to Assess It

Exit ticket: A sealed bag holding vinegar and baking soda weighs 85 g before mixing. It bubbles after mixing. Name the type of change, predict the final mass, and explain both answers.

1. 01

   Mix vinegar and baking soda in a sealed bag; have groups weigh it before and after mixing and record what they observe.

2. 02

   Write “low carbon emissions” and “long-lived waste” on the board; ask pairs to argue for or against a local nuclear plant.

3. 03

   Give pairs H₂ + Cl₂ → HCl and atomic masses H = 1, Cl = 35.5; race to balance it and total each side.

4. 04

   Show a rusted nail and a torn paper towel; ask which change made a new substance and what evidence supports the answer.

• PHS.1

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of the nature of matter.

• P.7.5E

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of the law of conservation of mass.

• P.5.5A

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of the physical properties of matter.

• P.2.5

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of the properties of matter.